The present invention is generally directed to storage devices, and more particularly to a device for holding, protecting, storing, and/or shipping string lights commonly used in the adornment of trees and buildings.
Decorative lights typically adorn trees and buildings during the winter holiday season and are then removed and stored until the next year or next occasion of use. Original packaging is generally not reusable or not easy to reuse. Storing lights often leads to tangling, twisting and bending. Bulbs may become dislodged or break. Lights may be exposed to atmospheric contaminants, such as dust, and prone to damage from bugs and water, or they may be bumped, dropped, or crushed during storing and moving.
Traditionally, lights were only popularly formed in linear strings. However, newer forms of lights, including icicle lights, net lights, and rope lights, although provide the users with more decorative options, they have added to the problems. For instance, icicle lights and net lights more easily become entangled and lose their natural form, and rope lights can twist, bend, and break, making their storage after use more difficult. In addition, since these lights are folded or coiled into compact boxes for shipping, their use is very difficult as the user must first spread or stretch the lights into more manageable natural forms. Often the lights retain their folded or coiled shape due to memory, making the task of decorating, for example, a bush or tree, cumbersome.
Conventional devices for holding lights suffer from various drawbacks. The devices are not suitable for holding icicle lights, net lights, and/or rope lights, lack simplicity in design or use, and are not designed for holding, protecting, storing, and/or shipping of lights without entangling, twisting, bending, or breaking. Many of the devices are only designed for holding the traditional linear-string lights. Examples of devices for holding lights are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,641,075; 5,676,250; 5,695,148; 5,762,311; 5,868,334; 5,924,570; 5,957,401; 6,237,769 B1; 6,431,489 B1; and 6,467,623 B1.
In view of the drawbacks associated with conventional devices, there is a need in the industry for a simple, versatile device for holding, protecting, storing, and/or shipping of lights, including linear-string lights, icicle lights, net lights, and rope lights, without entangling, twisting, bending, or breaking.